Write-ups for October 12’s Program at St. Nick’s/Pope John PXXIII

Please see below for information (both in English and in Spanish) about this past weekend’s (October 12) program

ENG

On Saturday, October 12th, 2013 – parents, all mothers of K-8th grade school children, met at St. Nicholas Catholic church in Evanston for an open panel discussion led by Sergio D. Hernández, M.A. and facilitated by 3 other mental health specialists. The initial topic of the discussion, given the circumstances surrounding the loss of an important figure within the parish, focused on talking to children about grief and loss. The overarching purpose of the meeting, however, was to help parents improve communication with their children regarding a variety of subjects. The parents were quick to point out both the benefits and disadvantages in the use of modern technology in their children’s lives. Many felt that their children, given school and social pressures, were losing their sense of connection to family living. One parent in particular voiced her frustrations because she felt her sense of responsibility was to provide her children with the tools to succeed, but was taken aback by the toll it was taking on her family.

The parents were left with much needed information and resources. They were given tips which included the drafting of contracts that both parents and children needed to abide by: scheduling family meetings in the form of outings, meals, and bonding experiences, letting children experience their own consequences, and learning from disappointments. The mothers unanimously agreed that parenting as a single unit was difficult and wished their male counterparts collaborated in putting into action a more viable plan for raising their children. Lastly, the parents wished for more meetings where useful information could be disseminated and found their time to be enjoyable, informative, and extremely productive while they waited for their children to be dismissed from Saturday school!